Step 2: Give the number 1-888-407-4747 (calling from US or Canada) or +1-202-647-5225 (calling from abroad) for Office of Overseas Citizens Services to your family members. These numbers are available from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday

Foreign Nationals including US Citizens, who are visiting India for long term, have to register with Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRRO).

FRRO also handle visa renewals as well as permits for Restricted Areas in India.

The following are the formalities by Government of India for the foreign nationals traveling to India:

If you are entering India on a Student, Employment, Research, Medical or Missionary VISA, which is valid for more than 180 days, you are required to register with the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Officers) / FRO (Foreigners Registration Offices) under whose jurisdiction you propose to stay. This should be done within 14 days of arrival in India irrespective of your actual period of stay.

Foreigners who are visiting India on any other category of VISA that is valid for more than 180 days are not required to register themselves if their actual stay does not exceed 180 days on each visit. If such a foreigner intends to stay in india for more than 180 days during a particular visit, he/she should get registered within 180 days of arrival in India. PIO (People of Indian Origin) Card holder should also register for first stay exceeding 180 days.

The following categories of foreign nationals are exempt from registration:

People visiting India on any short term VISA i.e. valid for 180 days or less

Children below 16 years of age. This is irrespective of any type of VISA

Consider this…you are traveling to India and you lose or ruin your passport, credit cards or other travel essentials like medical prescription, emergency contact numbers, travel tickets, etc. Trust me my traveler friends that if you are not prepared for this scenario then it can be your nightmare.

Sure you must be vigilant in protecting your documents in the first place but a simple step of making photocopies of the documents ahead of time and having accesss to them if needed will be of immense help to you.

For this, you can either carry these copies with you or place the copies with your trusted people or keep an online-backup of them.

Security is cetainly an issue with the option of backing-up these documents online like emailing the images of these documents to yourself and, so, do some research to find out who offers a more secured solution.

One thing you can do about online backup of these documents is to make a password protect zip file of the images and then email them to your account.

Before finalizing your plan for traveling to India, it is advisable to check any travel alerts or warnings that either the Government of India or your country of origin has issued.

US Department of State, travel.state.gov Choose the country India under International travel. The site provides travel warning, alerts, travel insurance, medical facilities, etc.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov, 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) The site provides information on vaccinations and other health precautions.

World Health Organization’s (WHO),http://who.int/countries/ind/en The site provides information on disease outbreaks in India and lists reports & guides on health risks and safe food for international travelers.who.int/countries/ind/en

Many places in India require Govt. of India’s permission to visit. For details, visit Foreigners’ Division, Ministry of Home Affairs website mha.nic.in or call, +91-11-2309-2011.

Not one, not 2 but there are tens of fraudulent tourism centers in Delhi and all of them portray as if they are Government run. These fraudulent centers are mostly located around Central and Old delhi. For many, Delhi is the traveler’s first experience of India and for an unprepared traveler it can become the worst experience. How you talk and look for your ways around are the easiest give-aways to the scammers. Handy with some basic information & contact numbers you can really help yourself not ruin your entire trip.

There is only one India Tourism Center under the Ministry of Tourism: +91-11- 2332-0342 or visit in-person at 88 Janpath, Connaught Place, New Delhi. This center can also provide you with the list of Tourism centers in all other states and cities in India.

For travelers from US: You can reach Government of India’s India Tourism centers in US for any travel related guidance at: +1-212-586-4901 (NY) or +1-213-380-8855 (LA) or visit www.incredibleindia.org.

Indian belly can ruin your trip if you let your taste buds run amok.Indiahas one of the best foods for your drooling palette and some basic steps ensure you stay safe, whilst you engage in self-indulgence. Here are three basic rules I can swear by. I have traveled toIndiamany times with my small daughter and I swear we never fall sick. Here is our mantra:

Drink and drink only bottled water. Go to any shop and ask for Bisleri, the first bottled water brand, it is now a generic term for bottled water. If you don’t have access to bottled water, you can have RO water (RO being reverse osmosis), a process to purify water. You can also boil water for about 20 minutes and then consume it within 2 days.

Avoid raw foods especially, salad. Most Indian dishes are served with vinegar onion (yum) or cucumber yoghurt. Control!!! Its a luxury you can’t afford. Avoid it at all cost. You can have anything that’s cooked and is still “warm”. Remember, India's a tropical country and it doesn’t take time for microbes to multiply. That is the reason you need to have hot, cooked food.

Avoid milk for the first week. Indians drink buffalo’s milk and cow’s milk is a rarity. Start with milk products like yogurt and then try and stick to toned milk. Indian yogurt is the best I have tasted so far. You can also have the ubiquitous Indian tea. Its boiled, healthy and if herbal, aids your digestion.

Stay odomoized to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Odomos is a local mosquito repellent brand. Don’t try and carry mosquito repellents from the west. Indian mosquitoes are thick skinned much like India itself .

It might be worth it to invest in soft Lucknowi cotton kurtis. They will keep you covered and safe. You can get them for as low as $3 from Chandni chowk. Whats better than a slice of the old world with some shopping indulgence?